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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27289195">Things That Go Bump In The Night</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/tehfanglyfish/pseuds/tehfanglyfish'>tehfanglyfish</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Sleep [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Merlin (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Canon Era, Deviates From Canon, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff Is An Insulator, Halloween, Let's Get Spoopy, M/M, Samhain, Sort Of</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 10:09:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,198</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27289195</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/tehfanglyfish/pseuds/tehfanglyfish</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>On a stormy Samhain night, Arthur awakens to the sound of something trying to break into his chambers.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Sleep [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1565566</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>276</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Things That Go Bump In The Night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/highlynerdy/gifts">highlynerdy</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>For the always amazing <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/highlynerdy">highlynerdy</a>. Fair warning, this fluffy mess was written on the fly. </p><p> </p><p>Dear readers, it may come as a shock to you that I, tehfanglyfish, supplier of ridiculous fanfics, do not own the Merlin franchise, nor have I ever made a single money off of any fannish endeavors. As you grapple with these surprising words, I ask that you refrain from posting my works to other sites.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was a dark and stormy night.</p><p>Lightning flashed, thunder clapped, and the king’s snores echoed in his chambers. Stuffed from the Samhain feast and warm from the body curled against his, Arthur slept soundly, the raging storm outside only adding to the cozy atmosphere that pulled him into a deep sleep.</p><p>He might have stayed like that until morning if it hadn’t been for the disturbance at the door.</p><p>It began with a single scratch against the wood – so soft that most people would have missed it, what with the howling wind and booming thunder. But Arthur Pendragon was not most people. Though he didn’t go on patrol as often after taking the throne, countless nights spent sleeping in the open had conditioned him to be vigilant while asleep. Despite Merlin’s assertion that he was near impossible to wake each morning, if something was out of the ordinary, Arthur would notice no matter how lost in his dreams he was.</p><p>(And if the truth was told, even when complaining, Merlin’s voice had a soothing effect on him. So long as Merlin wasn’t in genuine distress, his prattle calmed Arthur’s nerves in a way that no sleeping potion of Gaius’s could ever hope to match.)</p><p>His mind registered the scratch, stirring Arthur slightly, but not enough to wake him. It was far too comfortable under the blankets to worry about a single random noise in the corridor. Still unconscious, he pulled Merlin closer, burying his face in Merlin’s hair.</p><p>The king and his sorcerer slept on until it happened again.</p><p>The second scratch, much louder than the first, was soon followed by a third and a fourth. The fifth managed to rouse Arthur. Falling back on years of training, he remained silent as he opened his eyes. Periodic flashes of lightning illuminated the otherwise dark room.</p><p>Lifting his head, Arthur looked toward the door. Normally a small amount of light spilled in underneath, but on this night the darkness suggested that the hallway torches had gone out.</p><p>Damn it. Though Camelot had been at peace for years now, Arthur had felt apprehensive about giving all the guards the evening off for the feast.</p><p>“Let them have the night. They deserve a break,” Merlin had argued that morning. “Besides, my wards will keep everyone safe.”</p><p>Before Arthur could launch a counterargument about the need to maintain protocols, Merlin had given him a soft smile and the look that he knew brought down all of Arthur’s defenses.</p><p>“Fine,” Arthur had conceded.</p><p>Everyone had been working hard and Arthur trusted Merlin’s magic implicitly. But now, with the hallway lights out and something trying to break into their chambers, Arthur wasn’t so sure he’d made the right decision.</p><p>Careful not to disturb his husband, Arthur released Merlin so he could sit up. The first thing to figure out was what was out there. An assassin would pick the lock, while enemy soldiers would use a battering ram or an axe to break down the door. And the sound – it hadn’t been metallic. More like… claws, maybe.</p><p>There was another scratch, the loudest one since the noise began. Whatever lurked in the corridor was starting to become agitated. There was a second or two of silence, then a heavy slam against the wood that caused Arthur to flinch.</p><p>In the bed beside him, Merlin rolled over but stayed asleep. Gently, Arthur rested a hand on his shoulder. To comfort Merlin, of course. Arthur was a battle-hardened warrior. It wasn’t as though he was frightened. Yes, it was Samhain, but it couldn’t be a vengeful spirit. Could it?</p><p>Arthur sat stone still as the creature – at least, he hoped it was a creature – began to sniff at the crack under the door. On instinct, he held his breath, not that it really mattered, he supposed. The sniffing grew louder, and the creature began to pace. He could hear the click of claws on the stone floor of the corridor. Maybe it would leave.</p><p>Bang!</p><p>Another slam against the door made it clear that the creature was not leaving. Arthur looked around, trying to remember where he’d left his sword. Ah. In the armory. At another point in his life, he would never have gone to sleep without a weapon at arm’s reach. But then, that was before he started sharing a bed with magic incarnate.</p><p>Three more slams, each with more force than the last, meant that it was time to rouse his husband.</p><p>“Merlin,” Arthur whispered, shaking his shoulder. “I need you to wake up.”</p><p>“What…” Merlin said as Arthur clamped a hand over his mouth.</p><p>He caught Merlin’s eyes in the flashes of lightning. With a finger to his lips, he helped Merlin sit up.</p><p>“There is,” Arthur whispered against Merlin’s ear, “something in the corridor that’s trying to break in. I don’t have my sword. I need your help.”</p><p>Thank the gods they’d slept in their smallclothes, Arthur thought as he watched Merlin inched toward the door. If the incident had taken place the night before, the monster would have gotten more than one surprise when Merlin confronted it.</p><p>Though Merlin crept on tiptoes, the creature noticed his approach, throwing its body against the door. For the first time that night, Arthur worried that perhaps the thick wood wouldn’t hold.</p><p>“Be careful,” he whispered.</p><p>Merlin nodded, one arm outstretched to cast as the other reached for the lock.</p><p>“If it gets me,” Merlin began.</p><p>“It won’t.”</p><p>“But if it does, go get help. Don’t do anything foolish like try to fight it on your own.”</p><p>Arthur said nothing - it was better to stay silent than tell a lie - and instead watched as Merlin turned the key. Slowly, he pulled the door open and the creature lunged.</p><p>Merlin fell to the floor, pinned underneath…</p><p>“Aithusa! Bad girl,” Merlin called from where he lay. “You know better than to jump.”</p><p>Arthur felt his heart restart. As soon as his legs were steady enough to hold him, he walked over to help Merlin free himself from the enthusiastic dragon.</p><p>“What is she doing here?” Arthur asked as he patted her head.</p><p>“She must have gotten loose. I bet the storm scared her. Come on, Aithusa. You know you’re getting too big to sleep with us. Let’s get you back to the nice room we’ve set up for you.”</p><p>Aithusa gave a sad whine as Merlin led her toward the door.</p><p>“Oh, we could let her stay tonight.”</p><p>“Arthur, you know if we let her stay, she’ll never learn.”</p><p>“Look at her little face, Merlin.”</p><p>“You do remember that it was your idea to move her across the hall after she kept shoving you out of the bed.”</p><p>Merlin was right. Dragons, even baby ones, were quite large. Despite its size, the king’s bed was starting to feel too small for the three of them.</p><p>“We can sort it tomorrow,” Arthur said, unable to resist the pitiful stare Aithusa was giving him. “Come on, the both of you. Let’s go back to sleep.”</p><p>It took some careful positioning, but soon they were all three curled up together, warm and safe as the storm raged on.</p>
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